Transparent display and filing device



Jan. 19, 1937. w, ENGEL 2,068,011

TRANSPARENT DISPLAY AND FILING DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1934 2 eets-S eet 1 f z lerz ylgzyez. 1 %6 '6' 15*:

A. w. ENGEL 2,068,011

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 14, 1934 TRANSPARENT DISPLAY AND FILING DEVICE Jan. 19 1937.

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Patented Jan. 19, 1937 PATENT OFFICE TRANSPARENT DISPLAY AND FILING DEVICE Albert W. Engel, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 14, 1934, Serial No. 753,009 8 Claims. (01. 129 -20) This invention relates to means for preserving or filing relatively fiat material, such as photographic prints and negatives, postage stamps, sales diagrams and data, and like material, in such a manner as to render it readily visible. This involves supporting the material within. a sheath of transparent sheet material, such as celluloid or cellulose film. The invention consists in certain features and elements of construction in combination as herein shown and described and as indicated by the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one envelope or container as bound in book form in accordance with this invention, showing the book cover opened back and partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a sectional view through a single negative-containing folder along the line 22 of Figure 1, showing the negatives and prints respectively in place, in accordance with this invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of an assembly of negative containers in book form, the thickness of the parts being considerably'exaggerated for the sake of clearness, the section being taken substantially as indicated at line 33 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified form of the invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3, exaggerating the thickness of the parts, and taken substantially as indicated at line 5-5 on Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an elevation or edgewise view showing a plurality of book form containers ready for assembly into a larger volume with enclosing covers.

Figure 7 is a face-view of a modified form of transparent holder adapted for containing photographic prints and negatives and for other purposes.

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the same taken as indicated at line 8-43 on Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a transverse section taken as indicated at line 9--9 on Figure '7.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a sealing device for use in connection with the structure of Figure 7. K

Figure 11 illustrates a series of overlapped holders of the same general type as that shown in Figure 7, but dimensioned to receive postage stamps and secured to a mounting sheet especially adapted for this purpose.

Figure 12 is a transverse section substantially along line l2l2 of Fig. 11, but showing a single holder attached to the mounting-sheet.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 591,963,- filed February 10, 1932, and the structure shown in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive, is substantially identical with that shown in my said prior application.

For purposes of illustration Figures 1, 2 and '7 show transparent sheaths or holders applied to the problem of filing photographic prints together with the negatives from which such prints are made, so that the prints themselves being readily visible in the album into which the sheaths or transparent envelopes are bound, may assist in the ready finding of any desired negative. In these constructions, therefore, the transparent sheath contains a removable folder of paper or the like on the outer faces of which are mounted two photographic prints, while between the leaves ofrthe folder there are'accommodated the two negatives corresponding to these two prints. This does not preclude the use of additional indexing system, including numbers and titles, but it does provide visible means for very readily identifying a particular negative without looking at the negative itself, and without even with-' drawing it from the container. In general, the

folders enclosed in the transparent sheaths are arranged so that their .folds serve to close the open sides or edges of the sheaths or envelopes,

and thus serve to securely retain the negatives within the folders until the latter are removed for access to the negatives. It may be understood, however, that the filing and display devices herein shown may be applied to various other uses, and are not confined necessarily to the preservation 'of photographic prints and negatives.

As shown in Figure 1, the container consists of a transparent envelope of such material as cellulose film, indicated at I, and encloses a removable paper folder of two leaves, 2 and 3, joined atthe .line of fold, indicated at 4 in Figure 2. Both leaves of the folder are formed with diagonal corner slots, 5, into which the corners of the. photographic paper prints, 8, 6, may be inserted for mounting them on the outer faces of the leaves, 2 and 3. A pair of negatives, l, l, are placed between the leaves, 2 and 3, as seen in Figure 2. Thus the prints, 6, 6, corresponding to the negatives, l, I, serve to identify the negatives, and may be readily seen through the transparent walls of the envelope, I, without removing either the negatives, l, l, or the paper folder itself. Preferably,

the envelope is formed without a flap, and at the open end its walls are cut away, as indicated at 8, to expose a small portion of the paper folder so that it may be readily grasped between the thumb and finger for removal from the envelope for access to the negatives themselves; and, preferably, the folder will be inserted in the envelope with its folded edge, 4, at the open end of the envelope to retain the negatives in position.

For convenience in storing or filing negatives thus enclosed in containers of this type, I prefer to assemble several containers in book form by gluing or otherwise cementing the closed ends of the envelopes, I, between accordion folds, 9, of a paper binder, which may include cover sheets, 0, In. As shown in Figures 1 and 3, these cover sheets, |0,,and the adjacent sections, II, which unite them to the accordion-folded back of the binder, project beyond the outside of the bacldng and may have perforations, l2, through which tape or other fastening may be inserted forassembling a series of these booklets into a larger volume, such as that indicated in Figure 6. With this arrangement additional outer covers, I 3, may be attached to the assembly, if desired.

Figure 4 shows a slightly modified form of booklet in which the folders carrying the negatives and prints of them may be substantially the same as those used in the form shown in Figure 1, but in whichthe envelopes, l4, are shown open at both ends, each being bound into the accordionpleated back structure by attachment of one lateral margin. This makes it unnecessary to initially form the transparent cellulose film or other material into an actual envelope; it may be simply a fiat sheet folded upon itself at the middle of its length, as indicated at If, so that its two edges opposite the fold may be inserted into one of the accordion folds, 9, of the binder, and cemented in place, as seen in Figure 5, thus forming a fiat tubular structure with two transparent walls between which the paper folder 2' containing the negative and prints may be slipped in place with its fold, 4*, disposed adjacent the lower open edge of the fiat tube. Arcuate notches, I6, may be formed at both open ends of the transparent container for access to the paper folder. Otherwise, the booklet structure may be similar to that already described, and a plurality of these booklets may be assembled in the manner indicated in Figure 6.

It may be understood that instead of the slits, 5, the folder may be provided with other mount-. ing means for the print, 6, as, forexample, mounting comers of the t e shown in my Patent No. 1,799,221, dated April 1931, or in some instances the printsmay be simply pasted onto the outer surfaces of the folder. 1

In the construction shown in Figure 7, the transparent envelope or holder is formed of a single sheet folded upon itself at 20, so as to form two leaves, 2|, and 22, with their free edges held together between the embracing portions of the securing strip, 23, and fastened permanentlyby stitching, seen at 24. The strip, 23, may be of cloth or substantial paper, and for some uses'it may be gummed on one surface so that the flap portions, 23, when folded back, as seen in Figure 7, have their gummed surfaces exposed outwardly.

When the strip is thus gummed I prefer to moisten the thread used for the stitching, 24, as it is sewed into the strip. The moisture will thus soften the gum around the perforations which are made in the strip as the stitching proceeds, and the individual stitches will thus be adhesively secured. This will permit making the sheath in the form of a long fiat tube and cutting it into any desired lengths transversely of the line of stitching: when this is done the summing 0f the stitches, as just described, will prevent them from coming out when the thread is cut in sub-dividing the tube.

If the holder is to be used with others of the same kind'in a ring binder the fiaps may be punched, as at 23*; but by virtue 'of their gummed surfaces, the fiaps 23" of adjacent holders may be directly united to each other to form a book with suitable covers attached to the outermost envelopes ,of the group. For filing photographic prints and their negatives, and at the same time rendering the prints readily available for display, each of the transparent envelopes is fitted with a folder, preferably of paper, adapted to serve as a suitable mounting stock for photographic prints. As seen in Figure 9, each folder comprises a middle portion, 25, disposed between the folds, 26 and 21, and end portions, 28 and 29 respectively, extending beyond these folds, so that when the folder is in closed position for insertion in the transparent-envelope, the part, 29, overlies the part 28. The area, 25, is provided with slits, 30, to receive the corners of a photographic print, indicated at 3|, in Figure 9, and, similarly, the part, 29, is formed with slits to receive a second print indicated at 32 in Figures 8 and 9. The corresponding negatives may be enclosed in the folder as at 33 and 34, so that they are retained between the folds, 29 and 21. These folds are disposed opposite the open edges of the folder which are at the top and bottom of the view in Figure 7. The fold, 20, of the transparent envelope or sheath, serves to close one end of the enclosed folder while the contents are prevented from escaping from the other end by the binding strip, 23, and its stitching, 24. Thus, when the paper folder, 25, 29, 29, is slipped into the transparent sheath, its two prints, 3|, 32, are clearly displayed at opposite sides of the sheet, and the corresponding negatives are securely retained within the folder.

Itwill be understood that the use of the transparent sheath, 2|, 22, is not confined to the filing of photographic negatives and their prints. It may be employed for any fiat material which is to be displayed, such as catalog cuts or data, samples of textile fabrics, postage stamp collections and philatelic covers. In any of these uses it may be desirable to seal the contents in the transparent folder, or to prevent escape of the contents from at least one of the open edges. For this purpose I provide, adjacent each of these open edges, a scrim of slots, 35, spaced at varying distances from the edge, and through these slots at the desired position I insert a sealing strip, 40, which may be simply a strip of paper, as shown in Figure 10, gummed on one side so that when slipped through the registering slots of the two leaves, 2| and 22, of the transparent holder, it may be lapped upon itself and gummed to form an endless loop connecting the two leaves. If it is desired to leave the contents of the transparent folder removable, as in the case of a filing album for photographic prints and negatives, such a seal will be applied only to one of the open edges, leaving the other edge, preferably the upper one, as seen in Figure 7, open for removal of the paper folder which contains the negatives and supports the prints.

Figure 11 illustrates a transparent holder of the same general type as that shown in Figure 7, but of modified dimensions to receive postage stamps for a collector's album. If desired, each page of the album may consist of a mounting sheet, 50, on which several transparent'holders 75 are secured in overlapping relation, as seen at El, 52 and 53. Each of these transparent sheaths is constructed of a folded sheet of material with. its free edges secured in the embrace of a gummed mounting strip, 54, with stitching, 55, piercing the strip and the transparent material. Preferably, the stitching is gauged so that the individual stitches will register in the usual serrations, 51, of the edges of the postage stamps,

51, as seen in Figure 11. Thus, while the transparent sheaths are wide enough to permit slipping the stamps in through their open ends, the stamps may be shifted after such insertion so that their serrated edges will interlock with the stitching, 55, which will serve for holding the stamps more definitely in the desired posi tion, To further ensure retention of the stamps in the sheaths the latter may be formed with slots, 58, adjacent their open ends to receive sealing loops, 40, similar to the loops, 40', of Figplanes, and means joining the free edges .of said leaves opposite their fold comprising a gummed binder strip creased longitudinally with said free edges of the sheath embraced between gummed surfaces of said strip and stitching permanently securing the parts in this relation, a portion of said strip being folded back upon itself, thus exposing the gummed surface to render the binder strip available as a mounting hinge for the holder.

2. A display holder for postage stamps or like material having serrated edges comprising a sheath of transparent sheet material folded upon itself to provide two'leaves in substantially parallel planes, and means joining the free edges of said leaves opposite their fold comprising a binder strip creased longitudinally with said free edges of the sheath embraced by said strip, and stitching permanently securing said parts in this relation, the distance between the stitching and the fold of the transparent material approximating the width of a stamp and said stitching piercing the material at intervals each equal to the distance between the serrations of the stamp edges or a multiple thereof.

3. The combination of a sheath of transparent sheet material folded upon itself to provide two leaves in substantially parallel planes, and means joining the free edges of said leaves opposite their fold comprising a gummed binder strip creased longitudinally with said free edges of the sheath embraced between gummed surfaces of said strip, together with stitching permanently securing the parts in this relation, the adhesive gum of the binder strip being engaged with said stitching where it extends through the strip for anchoring. stitches individually to permit cutting the sheath transversely of the stitching to form holders of any desired length.

4. In combination, a transparent sheath closed at three edges and open at a fourth edge, and a folder dimensioned and adapted for entering said sheath through its open edge and for being accommodated in the sheath with a folded edge of the folder adjacent said open edge of the sheath, said folder being provided with means for mounting a photographic print on one of its outer faces for display through the transparent sheath and being adapted to enclose the corresponding negative'between its leaves.

5. In combination a transparent sheath composed of a sheet folded to provide two substantially parallel leaves joined at their edges opposite the fold but open at their other two principal edges, a folder dimensioned and adapted for entering said sheath through one of said open edges and for being accommodated therein with the folded edge adjacent an open edge of the sheath, said folder being adapted to enclose a photographic negativeand being provided with means for mounting a photographic print on one of its outer faces for display through the transparent "sheath; and means obstructing the other open edge of the sheath comprising a. sealing loop inserted through substantially registering openings in the two leaves adjacent said edge of the sheath.

6. In combination, a transparent sheath comprising a sheet folded to provide two leavesin substantially parallel planes, joined at their edges opposite the fold but open at their other two principal edges, together with a folder of opaque sheet material consisting of three sections joined by two transverse folds, the section between said folds being dimensioned to be accommodated substantially within the area of the transparent sheath and between its two leaves, whereby thetwo folds serve to close the open edges of the sheath for retaining material contained in the folder.

'7. A display holder comprising a sheath of transparent sheet material folded upon itself to provide two leaves in substantially parallel planes, and means joining the free edges of said leaves opposite their fold comprising a binder strip creased longitudinally with said free edges of the sheath embraced by such strip and stitching permanently securing the parts in this relation, a portion of said strip being folded back over its stitched portion to extend past the crease, and having apertures for securement of the holder in a binder or like support.

8. A book comprising a plurality of transparent sheaths each composed of a sheet folded to provide two leaves connected at their edges opposite the fold, said connected edges of the sheaths being assembled at the back of the book and the sheaths being open at their edges which comprise the top and bottom edges of the book, and folders dimensioned to fit in said sheaths, each adapted to be disposed with a folded edge adjacent the open edge of the sheath at the bottom of the book, and each folder being adapted to enclose a photographic negative, which is retained in the sheath by the fold of the folder,

said folder being provided with means for mounting a photographic print on one of its outer faces for display through the transparent sheath and for identifying the negative.

ALBERT W. ENGEL. 

